The MTA Long Island Rail Road responded to this broken gate at the RR crossing on Blue Point Road in Holtsville earlier this week. Amateur videographer Benjamin Cohen captured video of cars stopping at the blinking gates, and then weaving around them to continue down the road on the afternoon of July 31.
The video was shot in portrait mode, hence the sideways angle.
According to Salvatore Arena, spokesman for MTA Long Island Rail Road, signal maintainers rushed to the broken crossing 14 minutes after being notified of its malfunction on Wednesday. The gates are currently functioning as normal.
In a statement emailed to Sachem Patch, Arena said motorists should never drive around a crossing gate, whether it's functioning or not.
From the email:
"Any motorist or pedestrian that spots a crossing gate malfunction along the Long Island Rail Road should immediately call 911 to notify police. Crossing gate malfunctions are rare. But driving around a crossing gate when it is down, whether functioning properly or improperly, is against the law and never a good idea for obvious safety reasons."
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